The winner will be announced on November 25, 2011 at a presentation with John Montague and the judges.

The Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry is delighted to announce the second Seamus Heaney Centre Prize for Poetry. The Prize will be awarded annually to the writer of the best first collection published in the UK or Ireland in the preceding year.

The Chairman of the judges for the second Seamus Heaney Centre Prize will be Professor Harry Clifton, Ireland Chair of Poetry.

The shortlist of up to 5 books will be announced in September 2011. The judges will announce their final decision at a presentation at the Robert Graves and Ireland Symposium, Queen's University Belfast, on 25th November 2011.

The Prize for 2011 will be £1000.

The Seamus Heaney Centre Prize has been inaugurated to celebrate the work of the Heaney Centre, and to honour its founding poet. The Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry is a focal point for creativity in Ireland and is recognised as an international centre of creative and research excellence in the field of literature. Central to the Centre's ethos is the encouragement of emerging talent.

The Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry invites submissions from publishers or individual poets for this prestigious annual prize.

Find details of terms and conditions and application form for the Prize here